tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post807554777790106375..comments2016-12-09T18:31:41.108-05:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1, 2007 - David J. KahnRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12620486356804516992007-09-12T19:19:00.000-04:002007-09-12T19:19:00.000-04:00profphil, I think EPT needs to be recognized as a ...profphil, I think EPT needs to be recognized as a word. What else could be the logical opposite of INEPT?<BR/><BR/>Like Nar, I am not an opera buff, but I seem to have gained enough knowledge of the subject by osmosis over the years that I was able to solve this in the course of drinking less than 2 cups of morning tea.<BR/><BR/>PIN money? Any young lady venturing out in search of adventure of an evening is wise to have cab fare home pinned to her underwear.<BR/><BR/>Orange said:<BR/><BR/>"Alex, I'll bet that other anonymous commenter is the only one who thought you were claiming to be proud of not being into opera. Everyone else probably thought that commenter was a twit."<BR/><BR/>Perhaps so, but I prefer to think he just had his tongue firmly in his cheek.<BR/><BR/>My compliments Mr. Kahn, this was up there with your best.WWPierrenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87946333100685815732007-09-12T10:08:00.000-04:002007-09-12T10:08:00.000-04:00Two cents from a loyal lurker from 6 weeks out - I...Two cents from a loyal lurker from 6 weeks out - I enjoyed this one. I don't know opera from diddly, but it was kind of nice to rustle around in my subconcious and see what popped out (Bubbles, Lucia, Violetta...). Plus, my grandmother was trained as an opera singer and did the crossword every morning - she would have <EM>loved</EM> this puzzle.narnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47842482341981436272007-09-12T09:26:00.000-04:002007-09-12T09:26:00.000-04:00Coma can be a delay for the person that is in it. ...Coma can be a delay for the person that is in it. Imagine if when you went in a coma Reagan was President and you awoke in 2007 you be delayed in being around.<BR/><BR/>Just imagine how delayed you be if you decided to read up on 3 presidents.<BR/><BR/>Rex "Pin money" is another way of saying seed money, or the phrase mother used to say, "Save your pennies for a rainy day"<BR/><BR/>Others believe it was money that girls in the 1950's would save thier allowance to buy pins to use for hemming and sewing thier clothes. Apractice that has diminished over time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74638419552358254572007-08-02T14:46:00.000-04:002007-08-02T14:46:00.000-04:00I do not have thie clues in front of me, but what'...I do not have thie clues in front of me, but what's up with COMA as the solution to, I belive, 'delay'.<BR/><BR/>A COMMA may be a delay, but not a COMAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67451599887057571512007-08-01T22:32:00.000-04:002007-08-01T22:32:00.000-04:00janie - Maybe one of these days I'll give opera an...janie - <BR/>Maybe one of these days I'll give opera another try - I've watched a couple of PBS showings a while back (with subtitles), mostly unsuccessfully.<BR/>I admit when it comes to that sort of thing, I'm less cultured than yogurt, and I'm not proud of that. But at least the puzzle opens a little window into that world, even if it's via Googling and Wikipedia lookups.Howard Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766792795622192271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36658948112168837582007-08-01T22:31:00.000-04:002007-08-01T22:31:00.000-04:00Orange, you're incisive. There is an art to 'sear...Orange, you're incisive. There is an art to 'search.'<BR/><BR/>The very early post about Google mechanics seemed intentionally frivolous when I read it late in the morning in California. (Distracted by a the whale that came to the harbor to load up on anchovies.)<BR/><BR/>But you found the exact article I had been looking for with a much better verbal algorithm than I had tried. Thank you. <BR/><BR/>I would encourage anyone who might be getting into the more difficult forms of crossing words to read this article (in conjunction with your recent instructive book, of course), for a great primer in comprehending language indirectly.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81170144433944790982007-08-01T21:25:00.000-04:002007-08-01T21:25:00.000-04:00matt m. --When you get a SUN clue such as XVII tim...matt m. --<BR/><BR/>When you get a SUN clue such as XVII times DVI, do you convert? or do the multiplication in Roman numerals?<BR/><BR/><BR/>OK, OK, I'm kidding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84511588607109831232007-08-01T20:17:00.000-04:002007-08-01T20:17:00.000-04:00Hi folks. Been lurking for a while, and posting fo...Hi folks. Been lurking for a while, and posting for the first time today. The phrase pin money is definitely in use in the land of the cheque, which is where I grew up, although GRE threw me for ages. Give me an A-level any day. But I did have a number of false starts. Soprano looked like soloist at first, and ignite has six letters too. Coma is seriously clever.<BR/><BR/>Better opera than baseball or American football, in my book.Ceanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80524314486835893582007-08-01T19:06:00.000-04:002007-08-01T19:06:00.000-04:00anon 2:21, thanks. i was still unclear about how c...anon 2:21, thanks. i was still unclear about how coma might be a verb. "why, i oughta coma you clear through next week!"Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03345623954861334689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76548190599749134232007-08-01T18:43:00.000-04:002007-08-01T18:43:00.000-04:00Fergus, why, certainly! I Googled plussed ept "new...Fergus, why, certainly! I Googled <I>plussed ept "new yorker"</I> and came up with <A HREF="http://beebo.org/smackerels/how-i-met-my-wife.html" REL="nofollow">this copy</A> of Jack Winter's "How I Met My Wife" (July 25, 1994, New Yorker). It looks to be retyped (probably in flagrant violation of copyright), as it's got "weildy" instead of "wieldy" and other typos, but the gist of it comes through clearly. Most entertaining!Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82036793065488041012007-08-01T17:56:00.000-04:002007-08-01T17:56:00.000-04:00I was pretty pleased with my ability to get most o...I was pretty pleased with my ability to get most of this puzzle even with my incredibly anemic knowledge of opera, but I screwed up with the ebay clue when I had "id" at the end. Suddenly decided "bid" had to be happening there, turning Rosalinde into Bocalinde, because I didn't know what bleaches textiles, and so ended up with "usebid," which I was prepared to protest colorfully, and a German opera character that for some reason was a Spanish/Italian name meaning something like "hot lips."green mantisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-62432839197515933812007-08-01T15:55:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:55:00.000-04:00My search at the New Yorker archive came up withou...My search at the New Yorker archive came up without what I was looking for -- maybe Ms Orange could suggest some refined delving tactics ... ?Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64143599732170400142007-08-01T15:24:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:24:00.000-04:00even though i heard of the names beverly sills and...even though i heard of the names beverly sills and bubbles separatley, i concur with profphil. i also don't know jack about about opera but i was able to finish this puzzle without googling. (hey, that's a word i would like to see in a puzzle.) that is what separates a great from a good puzzle.Fipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12366008510435101741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61325671796073552182007-08-01T14:36:00.000-04:002007-08-01T14:36:00.000-04:00fergus,Thanks for the apt comment about the inept ...fergus,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the apt comment about the inept use of ept. As to finding New Yorker articles they released a set of all the New Yorkers on CD Rom or some such technology. There must be a way of accessing it.profphilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67917414356833148332007-08-01T14:21:00.000-04:002007-08-01T14:21:00.000-04:00matt --stretches = periods of timeout = unconsciou...matt --<BR/><BR/>stretches = periods of time<BR/>out = unconsciousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84189834476371774922007-08-01T14:14:00.000-04:002007-08-01T14:14:00.000-04:00Pardon me if I'm being daft but I just don't get "...Pardon me if I'm being daft but I just don't get "comas" for "stretches out" -- is it simply implying that being in a coma is like stretching out for a long time?Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17038458200840846624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87421647424215787882007-08-01T14:03:00.000-04:002007-08-01T14:03:00.000-04:00As a music major in college I had the opportunity ...As a music major in college I had the opportunity to see Sills in three operas. Her 'mad' scene in Lucia was unforgettable. Quite an experience and a memory to always have with me.annielhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81401520615418634282007-08-01T13:53:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:53:00.000-04:00Anonymous 1:42 (hey, type a name for yourself next...Anonymous 1:42 (hey, type a name for yourself next time, if you don't mind)—It's not as bad as you think. The fastest legitimate time on the online applet is 3:17, so your multiple's closer to 6 than 11. (They're working on eliminating those cheaters who solve offline and then type in their answers, but new ones pop up like Whack-a-Mole heads. They can't get preemptively whacked, alas.)<BR/><BR/>Alex, I'll bet that other anonymous commenter is the only one who thought you were claiming to be proud of not being into opera. Everyone else probably thought that commenter was a twit. My first opera experience was a Chicago Lyric Opera production of <I>Turandot</I>. Terrific costumes and drama! I don't know that I would have enjoyed it without being able to read the supertitles with the translation of the sung lines, though.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31544881652287265982007-08-01T13:50:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:50:00.000-04:00Rex, the print edition (National) does have a comm...Rex, the print edition (National) does have a comma between "Sempre libera" and e.g. just to satisfy your burning curiosity. This discrepancy raises a vaguely interesting question about the mechanics of information transfer at the publisher's quarters. <BR/><BR/>I can never remember ANSE either even though I read the fooking book. Not a big fan of Faulkner's, though respectful of his art.<BR/><BR/>This was a bit of work today, but since I've started reading the obits more frequently these days I knew more about Beverly Sills than I did a few weeks ago. Despite opera ignorance there was just enough other stuff to fill in all the references. Still managing to keep up a long streak without seeking any outside references. Just the thought of getting outside hints sort of undermines the pleasant Xword trance, which is what draws me into this form of entertainment. Don't mean to impugn any Googling, or smugly parade my recall of ARCANA, this just happens to be my NOMINAL attempt at persistence and discipline.<BR/><BR/>Regarding the EPT comments, there was a great 'New Yorker' Shouts & Murmurs piece a long time ago where the author payed with all the words that are usually used in negation. In other words the author used words like EPT to describe someone dextrous, and wrote PLUSSED to describe clarity, as opposed to NONPLUSSED's confusion. It was a great piece of writing, and I've never been able to find it again.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91465607058046236922007-08-01T13:48:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:48:00.000-04:00dear anon (1:42) -- take heart! those first two "...dear anon (1:42) -- take heart! those first two "solvers" were actually doing typing practice. right now, the first legit time is the one submitted by "sarameon" at 3:17.<BR/><BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>janiejlsnycnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70818552367373513512007-08-01T13:42:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:42:00.000-04:00This was my first attempt to solve an NYT puzzle o...This was my first attempt to solve an NYT puzzle online. I solved it against the clock, though I didn't see the clock making any counter-moves. I thought I had it, but no, I was rebuffed, and so had to resumbit it, switching various ending vowels (E's to A's, A's to I's, etc.), until my solution was accepted.<BR/><BR/>Then for the ego-ripping, soul-destroying revelation: I was more than 11 times slower than the best solution, clocking in at 22 minutes, 11 seconds.<BR/>The agony! (and cleopatra.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89492719768283074732007-08-01T13:35:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:35:00.000-04:00I did a lot of guessing and inferencing on this on...I did a lot of guessing and inferencing on this one. In the end the only error I made did not involve Ms. Sills. I thought it was NORM Chomsky. Thinking this was a common mistake I asked my wife, a language major with graduate courses in linguistics. Told her it began with N and she said "Oh, you mean NOAM." Apparently not a common error!jaenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25243241315016426562007-08-01T13:20:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:20:00.000-04:00Toughie for me today, too. I also, mysteriously, ...Toughie for me today, too. I also, mysteriously, knew BUBBLES. Let me also say that I <B>hate</B> such clues as "Early third-century year" or "Year in which somebody did something that not many of you know or care about". I, unlike Green Genius, much prefer the Sun's approach: "XXIII times IX".Matt M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8659860401632221552007-08-01T13:06:00.000-04:002007-08-01T13:06:00.000-04:00I didn't think I was so much taking pride in my ig...I didn't think I was so much taking pride in my ignorance of opera. Just acknowledging it.<BR/><BR/>Heck, I even said my rejection of the genre based on a single very amateur performance was unfair.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543077687426776863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82304883103280132292007-08-01T12:26:00.000-04:002007-08-01T12:26:00.000-04:00I suppose pin money is now defined as the stuff on...I suppose pin money is now defined as the stuff one extracts from an ATM?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com